Expo 2020 Dubai will mark International Women’s Day on Tuesday. Three days of events — from March 6 to 8 — under the 2022 theme of Break The Bias are taking place.
The events explore different perspectives to tackle the “invisible barriers holding women back in politics, business and culture”, organisers said, while also celebrating those already breaking the bias.
“The world continues to face extraordinary challenges, and it is clear that these issues cannot be solved without half the global population having a seat at the table,” said Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Co-operation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai. “We must tackle stereotypes, cultural and societal norms that create bias against women and hinder their ability to contribute — a change that cannot be achieved by one policy or actor alone.
“On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women who have broken the mould across sectors and the men who have championed them. We welcome the world to Expo 2020 Dubai to learn how each of us can create an enabling environment for women, one that will ultimately secure a brighter future for all humanity.”
On Sunday, the Middle East’s first female-led music festival, We, The Women, was held at Festival Garden, bringing together international artists from diverse backgrounds, including Alo Wala, Natacha Atlas and Dina El Wedidi.
Here are some other events to look out for:
Break the Bias Assembly
Starting proceedings on International Women’s Day will be the Break the Bias Assembly, which will feature government leaders and diplomats from the UAE, Switzerland and Paraguay discussing the 2022 edition of the Women in Diplomacy Index, as well as a talk by Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, chief diversity and inclusion officer of the US State Department.
There will also be a discussion by women shaping the world of business, who will discuss overcoming barriers in all industries. Participants include Laura Lane, chief corporate affairs officer, UPS and Sabine Holl, IBM vice president technical sales and chief technology officer for Middle East and Africa.
March 8; 9am-1pm; Hall 2A South, Dubai Exhibition Centre
Break the Bias Forum
Curated by the Women’s Pavilion in collaboration with French luxury goods company Cartier, the Break the Bias Forum will feature a talk from the UAE’s first female minister, Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, former UAE Minister of State for Tolerance, who will share her experiences.
The afternoon will also host the Redefining the Future for Women session, featuring leaders and policymakers across cultures and sectors, including Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh; Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President; and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general, World Trade Organisation.
The forum will also feature a group of celebrities, including Lebanese actress, director and activist Nadine Labaki, who will read aloud letters written to the next generation of girls inviting them to take their rightful place in society to drive gender equality forward.
March 8; 1pm-6pm; Hall 1B South, Dubai Exhibition Centre
Walking Through (Her)Story
Explore the central role women have played in the development of societies around the world with a self-guided walking tour leading up to International Women’s Day.
Starting out at the Women’s Pavilion, visitors will be able to explore how women have contributed to empowerment and gender equality through history.
The tour will then take visitors to the Benin Pavilion to learn about women kingdom-builders, before heading to the Bangladesh Pavilion, where a showcase explains the country’s success in women’s empowerment.
Next, visitors will swing by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Pavilion, which highlights unity in diversity and women’s central role in the Islamic way of life, before ending at the African Union Pavilion, where visitors can listen to the stories of African women and their contributions to the development of the continent.
The self-guided Walking Through (Her)Story visitor journey is accessible via the Expo 2020 Dubai app.
Until March 8; 10am-10pm; starting at Women’s Pavilion
Al Wasl Dome Ceremony
The ceremony, organised by Cartier, will round off the day’s celebrations, attempting to answer the question: What makes a better world? The evening will feature a guest appearance from Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek, alongside performances from slam poet Emi Mahmoud, and the orchestra of renowned composer Thomas Roussel. There will also be dance and gospel music performances.
March 8; 8pm-8.45pm; Al Wasl Dome
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company%20profile
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Results
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